Spreading tools have many applications. One of which is for working on animal carcasses. When a hunter kills an animal, especially large game, such as deer or family cervidae (big game), the first job is to dress (i.e. gut) the animal in order to butcher and prepare the meat for consumption. The interior of the animal needs to cool down to slow bacteria formation. This can be done by cutting the cartilage in the sternum and inserting something to hold the rib cage apart. This also allows access to the interior of the animal.
Many spreading tools have been conceived to hold or spread apart the rib cage, but these tools are difficult to operate or interfere with the user's ability to work effectively. An example of one such tool found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,397, which includes a pair of opposite elongated arms with a rotational axle near the top end of the arm establishing a pivot point perpendicular to the length of the arms and combined by a spring to bias the arms closed. Handles are positioned on each arm between the engaging means and the pivot point to allow the operator to spread the tool open by pulling the arms away from each other. Such a tool is considered to operate as a class three lever mechanism where the effort (applied at in the middle at the handles) is always applied between the fulcrum (pivot) and the resistance. Importantly the effort required to operate the lever is always greater than the resistance.
What is needed is a tool that is easier to operate.